SecuritySecureMac News, Reviews & Advisories
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At a glance, you can quickly see the latest news, trending topics, and our most popular stories!
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The SecureMac software team is constantly working on protecting Mac users. Our software section has been moved to its own area, where you can access information about our latest apps, …
November 24, 2015 •
2 min read
SecurityDid Apple make a grievous error with the design of its most recent mobile device operating system, iOS 9? After launching iOS 9 in September, alongside the release of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple quickly came under fire for a feature called “Wi-Fi assist.” The feature is designed to provide users with a more seamless web browsing experience. In situations where an iPhone or iPad is having difficulty connecting to a Wi-Fi network, Wi-Fi assist will automatically switch to mobile data usage.
The problem is, many users …
November 22, 2015 •
4 min read
SecurityLet’s just call a spade a spade: passwords are among the most irritating things about living in the digital age. Trying to remember even one or two passwords—let alone a different password for every device, site, and service that you use, as is usually recommended—can be a real test for the more forgetful among us. But passwords are also essential. Often, they are the one safeguard protecting your computer, your social media accounts, your email inbox, or your online banking page—to name a few—from everyone else on the web.
November 20, 2015 •
6 min read
SecurityApple’s latest mobile and desktop operating systems, iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan, launched in the second half of September. As of October 22nd, Apple has released updates for both operating systems to patch notable security flaws. The updates, iOS 9.1 and OS X 10.11.1, are essential for users who have updated their Apple devices to the latest operating systems.
According to a report on the updates from eWeek, Apple decided to release quick patches for their latest operating systems after third-party sources—including Google’s Project Zero and Yahoo’s Pentest team—identified …
November 17, 2015 •
3 min read
SecurityCreating a disk image is a method often used for system backup, and can essentially clone your hard drive by copying the contents and structure of the disk and saving them exactly as they are on your computer. Using Mac’s Disk Utility, you can create a password-protected and fully encrypted disk image for secure system backup and disk cloning. Use the steps below to create a protected disk image for your Mac’s hard drive.
Open the Disk Utility
To get started with creating a protected disk image, you will need …
November 13, 2015 •
4 min read
SecurityMacs are sleek and slick computers that can run well for years after you take them out of the box. Like all other computers, though, your Mac is not immune to slowdowns, bugs, and other problems, and it’s up to you to keep your machine happy, healthy, and safe. Use the eight tips listed below to keep your Mac running like a well-oiled machine for years after first use.
(Once you’re done checking out this page, be sure to see our 2021 macOS Big Sur setup guide for even more …
November 6, 2015 •
7 min read
SecurityNote: This page refers to older versions of Keychain. We have an updated (2021) article about iCloud Keychain features.
Even if you don’t use it, you probably already know that the basic purpose of your Mac’s Keychain software is password management. iCloud Keychain is meant to make browsing the web, connecting to Wi-Fi networks, making credit card payments online, and other day-to-day internet tasks easier, by remembering all of your usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, Wi-Fi network …
October 27, 2015 •
5 min read
SecurityAs computer lingo has evolved over time, the true definition of a “computer virus” has been somewhat lost. Indeed, these days, the term “computer virus” is perhaps most often used as a catch-all for all types of malware—from worms to Trojan Horses to keyloggers and beyond. The true definition of a computer virus, however—and the type of malware program it originally described—is a program that will infect programs and files throughout a computer system and change the way they behave and function.
Like worms, viruses are self-replicating and are …
October 26, 2015 •
4 min read
SecurityA Trojan Horse, in the computer world, is a potentially devastating type of malware that disguises itself as something desirable in order to be installed or downloaded onto a computer system. Once the Trojan program has been installed, it goes to work with its true purpose, executing malicious activities that greatly compromise the overall security of the system. If your Mac has been infected by a Trojan Horse, the program could do any number of things to the system—from initiating the installation of other viruses or malware programs, to …
October 26, 2015 •
5 min read
SecurityThe makers of MacScan, a popular malware scanner for Mac OS X machines, maintain a list on their website of the different types of Mac malware that their program helps to protect against. The list, in addition to providing a compelling argument for why to check out MacScan, also acts as one of the more comprehensive lists of known Mac OS X malware on the Internet. Looking at the list, it becomes clear that keystroke loggers are a serious problem for Mac users. Indeed, while the MacScan registry includes …
October 26, 2015 •
3 min read
SecurityThe most threatening aspect of computer worms as a type of malware is that they are self-replicating. Where viruses sometimes need to hook up to a specific type of computer program or be actively controlled by a hacker in order to work, worms are so dangerous because they start cloning themselves pretty much the moment they hit your computer. The goal of worms is twofold: first, they seek to exploit known vulnerabilities in an operating system; second, they seek to spread as far as they can, using computer networks, …
October 26, 2015 •
4 min read
SecurityIf your Mac seems to be getting hit with a ton of pop ups and extra advertisements as of late, there’s a good chance you are dealing with something we like to call “adware.” The good thing about adware is that it isn’t as inherently malicious or dangerous as other types of malware—like viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, keystroke loggers, and more. In fact, sometimes, adware isn’t even labeled as malware at all, and is instead classified as a PUA, or a “potentially unwanted application.”
With that said, adware, like tracking cookies, …
October 26, 2015 •
4 min read
SecurityLas Vegas, Nevada – SecureMac is proud to announce the new release of PrivacyScan 1.8, offering privacy protection for Mac users. The latest version of the critically acclaimed personal privacy application is designed specifically for Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan, updating features to securely wipe digital footprints left after using the computer and accessing the Internet. In this latest release, PrivacyScan is optimized for Apple’s latest operating system offering up-to-date cleaning protection for the latest apps.
“Apple is increasingly becoming a target for hackers. The idea that an operating system …
October 7, 2015 •
2 min read
SecuritySeptember 14, 2015 – Las Vegas, Nevada – SecureMac is pleased to announce MacScan 2.9.5, the latest update to its award-winning anti-malware privacy and security software, with additional privacy support for supported Internet apps. This new version of MacScan enhances protection against the latest threats for Mac OS X, adding enhancements to the interface, bug fixes and improved web cleaning for the most recent versions of Safari, Chrome and Firefox. Additionally, MacScan 2.9.5 includes the latest spyware definitions and tracking cookie blacklist.
MacScan 2.9.5 is available for download …
September 14, 2015 •
2 min read
SecurityUnlike the firewall settings in Windows, the built-in firewall for Mac OS X is not enabled by default. If you’ve recently purchased a new Mac computer, then you will have to go in and turn on the firewall manually if you want that protection. The steps to do so are quite simple and user-friendly, but the first question is this: do you need to enable the firewall on your Mac?
The short answer is “yes.” Apple leaves the firewall disabled by default because it can cause issues with certain …
August 15, 2015 •
5 min read
SecurityIt goes without saying that the sleek, lightweight, and attractive design of the iPhones makes it an ideal smartphone choice for many. Unfortunately, those characteristics also make Apple’s flagship device both easy to lose and a target for theft. The small, light, and slippery design of the iPhone means that it can slip out of your pocket or bag without you immediately realizing it. And since iPhones are expensive, valuable assets, they tend to be the apple of many a potential thief’s eye (pun intended).
The good news is …
August 13, 2015 •
5 min read
SecurityIf you by chance haven’t updated to Mac OS X 10.10 just yet (e.g., the Yosemite operating system update that first became available last October), then you may want to hold off. According to a recent blog post by cyber security researcher Stefan Esser, Apple added a few features to the code of OS X 10.10 that have introduced some pretty serious vulnerabilities into the system. The issues, Esser noted, are present in both the current Yosemite release (OS X 10.10.4), as well as in the beta version of …
August 12, 2015 •
5 min read
SecuritySecurity Advisory update issued: 05/08/2015
MacKeeper has posted an advisory on their blog detailing the security issue and the steps they have taken in response. A new version of MacKeeper has been released to address the vulnerability, and MacKeeper users should update to the latest version as soon as possible. By default, MacKeeper automatically checks for updates, and users should click OK when prompted in order to install the update.
Original advisory follows:
Date issued: 05/07/2015
Risk: Critical (for users running MacKeeper)
A vulnerability has been discovered in MacKeeper, a utility program for OS X. …
May 7, 2015 •
4 min read